New N.C. 150 Bridge in Davidson County to Open to Two-Way Traffic Monday

Friday, January 18, 2013

Change will allow Clark Road bridge over I-85 to close permanently

RALEIGH — Two-way traffic
will begin flowing on the new N.C. 150 bridge over I-85 in Davidson County,
starting Monday, Jan. 21. At 5 p.m., the N.C.
Department of Transportation will open the eastbound lane for the first
time since crews closed the old bridge for demolition in October 2010.

The westbound lane of the new bridge is currently open to traffic. The
exit ramp from I-85 North to N.C. 150 will also remain open, but no additional
ramps will open at this time.

This traffic pattern change will allow NCDOT to permanently close the
Clark Road bridge over I-85 on Monday at 8 p.m. Because the Clark Road bridge
has served as the only eastbound access route over the interstate in the
immediate area since N.C. 150 closed, the department had to wait until the new
N.C. 150 bridge opened to eastbound traffic before closing the Clark Road
bridge.

NCDOT plans to demolish the Clark Road bridge this spring, so crews can
complete widening work, which will expand I-85 to four lanes in each direction.
Until then, contractor Balfour Beatty/Austin Bridge & Road, a Joint Venture
will use the bridge to help haul construction materials into the work zone.

Crews are currently building a temporary ramp from the Clark Road bridge
into the I-85 median, so trucks can transport materials such as gravel and
asphalt into the median without crossing active traffic lanes. This innovative
approach will improve motorist safety by reducing the number of large trucks on
the interstate. The temporary ramp is expected to be complete in about two
weeks.

NCDOT broke ground
in September 2010 on the southern segment
of the project, which involves replacing eight bridges, widening 3.3 miles of
I-85 from north of Long Ferry Road in Rowan County to north of N.C. 150 in
Davidson County, and reconstructing the N.C. 150 interchange. The northern segment extends the reach
of the interstate widening 3.8 miles from north of N.C. 150 to just north of I-85
Business. Work on both phases is concurrent and is scheduled to be complete by
May 2013.

For more information
on both phases of the $201.5 million project, visit www.i-85yadkinriver.com. To receive
instant updates on traffic pattern changes, construction-related congestion and
project milestones, follow NCDOT’s I-85 Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/NCDOT_I85.